“I consider myself a patriot”: This equipment company has a firm stance on dealing with LIV Golf

LIV Golf has garnered a massive fan base and amassed several sponsors for its players and teams. But one equipment company that has been involved in the golf circuit seems in no mood to connect with the Saudi-backed league anytime soon.

The company is Parsons Xtreme Golf, owned by Bob Parsons, who also founded the web hosting service GoDaddy. Parsons' owned golf manufacturing company has disrupted the golf equipment market since its launch in 2015.

In a recent interview with Esquire, Parsons was quite clear about his goals and associations. Though he feels LIV Golf is a new circuit that is disrupting the entire circuit, he feels he has nothing to do with the league. He said:

"I will say this here, on the LIV tour, I consider myself a patriot. With the stuff that went down at 9/11, I have a hard time getting involved with them. I know, sometimes, bygones got to be bygones, and I've forgiven a lot of people … I just cannot bring myself to do anything with [LIV], and the guys who are heroes, they all agree with that."

Bob Parsons, a former Marine, felt that with the kind of terrorism that happened on 9/11, his association with the Saudi-backed league would be inappropriate.

Parsons revealed that his company, Parsons Xtreme Golf, does not have any contracts with players on LIV Golf. He revealed that all those who had contracts were honored, but after their association ended, he did not contact them:

"Well, we really don't have guys on that tour. I mean, we've had some guys that had contracts that went on that tour, and I honored the contracts. But now that the contracts are up, I have no contract with them."

A competitor to the PGA Tour of America, LIV Golf is a golf circuit sanctioned by the crowned prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and his Public Investment Fund (PIF). Since its launch, it has been the talk of the town. Many reputed golfers like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, and Sergio Garcia joined the league in its inaugural tournament.

LIV Golf League: Teams and players

A total of 12 teams consisting of four players each play in the LIV Golf League. Here are the names of the team and their squad details:

Iron Heads GC: Kevin Na (C), Scott Vincent, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim
Stinger GC: Louis Oosthuizen (C), Branden Grace, Dean Burmester, Charl Schwartzel
Cleeks GC: Martin Kaymer (C), Bernd Wiesberger, Richard Bland, Graeme McDowell
Ripper GC: Cam Smith (C), Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan
Torque GC: Joaquin Niemann (C), Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig
Majesticks GC: Ian Poulter (C) and Henrik Stenson (C), Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield
RangeGoats GC: Bubba Watson (C), Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, Harold Varner III
HY Flyers GC: Phil Mickelson (C), James Piot, Brendan Steele, Cam Tringale
Crushers GC: Bryson DeChambeau (C), Paul Casey, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III
Smash GC: Brooks Koepka (C), Chase Koepka, Matt Wolff, Jason Kokrak
Fire Balls GC: Sergio Garcia (C), Abe Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra
4 Aces GC: Dustin Johnson (C), Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein